Music

A week ago I found myself in the middle of a mad scramble. Bristol natives IDLES had just dropped their utterly disgusting debut album, Brutalism, and their show at the Moth Club in Hackney was utterly sold out, even to slow-poke press like me. I'd searched out their Facebook page, Twitter and their PR for a hot ticket - no joy. For people like me who were too slow off the mark on the IDLES hype train, there is hope yet....

Dwindling audience figures seem to have taken a hit on participation rates in the much maligned talent show X Factor. After record-low audiences for the 2016 series finale it looks like 2017 has got off to a rough start with audition queues resembling more of a parish church talent contest than a national television competition. Only a handful of people queued for auditions in Swindon today after just ten people turned up for the show's auditions in Kent earlier in the week....

Super Talented Matthew Smith is a Grade 5 standard violinist and also plays the guitar, drums, piano and viola. Incredibly he will take the lead when Nottingham Symphony Orchestra (NSO) play Die Fledermaus at the Royal Concert Hall in the city on April 2. The concert will make Matthew the world’s youngest conductor – beating the previous record of a 14-year-old boy who directed the Venezuelan youth orchestra. The schoolboy has been practising with the 75-strong orchestra once a week...

Last year, Duckwrth not only supported Anderson .Paak and Syd of The Internet but he introduced an arsenal of artistic ingenuity with his debut solo album, I’M UUGLY, a unique representation and celebration of individuality with encouraging themes and stimulating rhythms that made you smile and groove. It even making its way onto the best of 2016 lists for Indie Shuffle, NPR and XXL. This year he opens even stronger with the highly anticipated release of his new video for one of...

PWR BTTM aren't pulling their punches with 'Answer My Text', the second single from their forthcoming LP Pageant (May 12, Big Scary Monsters / Polyvinyl). The track finds Liv Bruce singing in narrative-like fashion to a prospective lover through trials and tribulations; from asking for their phone number to formulating the perfect emoji combination, the song takes these seemingly miniscule acts of affection and puts them under the lens of anxiety, hopefulness, and comedy. Pageant is the Brooklyn-based duo's newest effort, and sees...

In recent years, ArcTanGent has built a reputation for itself as THE emerging UK rock festival, both putting on exclusive performances from exceptional, worldwide artists and supporting new, exciting talent. This morning, 10 newly announced bands were exclusively revealed and discussed on the Thats Not Metal Podcast, with 28 further acts now also be revealed. The 10 bands announced through Thats Not Metal, are:God Is An Astronaut (playing their only UK show of 2017)BorisTTNGDefeaterFuture of the LeftsleepmakeswavesListenerThe Number Twelve Looks Like YouDevil Sold His Souland Tall Ships...

We're a big fan of Xenia Rubinos at TLE Music. Maybe it's her blend of soulful R n B and noisy avante garde weirdness that hooks us in, or her easy Brooklyn cool. Maybe it's because our hair is receeding. Regardless, we're excited that Xenia is heading back to UK shores. In the last year, The Guardian have tipped Xenia as One To Watch, Sunday Times as their Breaking Act, Pitchfork gave her LP 8.0, The Telegraph dedicated a full page to...

With the release of their first album in five years, 'VOIDS', coming up on 3rd March, Minus The Bear have announced a string of EU/UK dates for June 2017.  The dates will feature support from Joan of Arc along with an appearance with American Football at So36 in Berlin. The new dates will follow on from a 29-date spring tour across North America, culminating in a hometown Seattle show on April 15th. They will play the following dates:Thu 01 Jun -...

Watch 2 Minutes Of Harry Potter Magic Remixed By Eclectic Method. Turntables magician and audiovisual remixer Eclectic Method has turned his sorcery on our favourite wand waving wizard and his friends. Harry Potter and his friends grow up in just over two minutes of this house music tune - made from sounds from all eight movies. We're not sure what we love more watching the cast grow up over a decade, or the magic movie musical remix conjured up from sounds from...